Bringing the Parijata Tree

To fulfil Satyabhama's wish, Krishna brought the heavenly Parijata tree to Dwarka, and in this playful leela Indra's passing pride was also gently set right.

The Parijata is a wish-fulfilling tree that arose from the churning of the ocean and grew in Indra's heavenly garden. Its flowers never fade, and their fragrance fills the air for miles. The story of how it came to earth is told briefly in the Bhagavatam and in more detail in the Harivamsha and the Vishnu Purana, which differ a little in how it began.

After defeating Narakasura, Krishna went to Indra's city of Amaravati with Satyabhama to return Aditi's earrings. Indra and his queen Shachi welcomed them with honour, and Aditi blessed them warmly. As they walked through the heavenly gardens, Satyabhama saw the Parijata in full bloom and longed to have it in her own garden in Dwarka. In some tellings, the wish began earlier, when Narada gave a Parijata blossom to Krishna and it was offered to Rukmini, and Satyabhama asked for the whole tree in a loving sulk.

Krishna smiled at his queen's wish, gently uprooted the tree and placed it on Garuda's back. The guardians of the garden protested, and Indra, forgetting for a moment that he had only just begged Krishna for help against Naraka, came out with the gods to stop him. The Vishnu Purana describes a brief contest, but Indra soon realised whom he was facing. His pride melted, and he bowed to the Lord. Seeing this, Satyabhama said that she had only wanted to show that nothing was beyond her Lord, and in that tradition Indra himself agreed that the tree should go to Dwarka for as long as Krishna remained on earth.

The Parijata was planted in Satyabhama's garden. Bees from heaven followed its fragrance to Dwarka, and it became the pride of her palace. The Bhagavatam notes with a gentle smile that even great beings like Indra can become forgetful once their own work is done, while the Lord remains patient and kind.

In homes across India, the night-flowering parijata, also called harsingar, is still loved in worship, and many recall this story when its white and orange flowers fall softly to the ground each morning.

This leela is full of sweetness and play. It shows that the Lord delights in fulfilling the loving wishes of his devotees, and that pride, even in the king of the gods, dissolves before him.

Source

Shrimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, ch. 59; Harivamsha; Vishnu Purana

Place

Amaravati (Svarga) – Dwarka

Lesson

The Lord delights in fulfilling his devotees' loving wishes, and pride dissolves before him.